Wisconsin criminal defense: parents in trouble after 3 teens die

A Wisconsin house party turned to criminal defense issues after three teenagers died in a crash after they left the home. A husband and wife, along with their son, were issued a number of citations after it was determined that criminal charges were not warranted. In total, they were each hit with nine violations and could face fines up to $500 per citation. They will soon be in court on the criminal defense matter, though it appears they have successfully avoided formal criminal charges in the incident.

The family held a party at their home, and the wife reportedly allowed the teens to consume alcoholic beverages. The three only received citations due to a Wisconsin law providing that criminal charges for giving alcohol to a minor that results in death or serious injury are only applicable if the person was under the age of 18. Although the woman acknowledged she supplied the alcohol, she did not see the teens consume it and was unaware they had left her home intoxicated.

There have been calls to increase the consequences for situations like this in our state, but those efforts have not been successful. Authorities believe alcohol and excess speed contributed to this fatal crash. The teens’ vehicle struck a utility pole. Further tests showed the driver registered a blood alcohol level of .175 percent. The accident investigation concluded that the vehicle was traveling almost 60 miles per hour when it crashed, said to be almost 30 mph over the speed limit.

Two of the teens died at the accident scene, and the other passed away a few days after the crash. The married couple and their son may have had to mount a criminal defense in Wisconsin if the teens had been a few months younger. Sometimes circumstances occur that spiral out of control and result in tragic consequences. This appears to be one of those cases, and the three facing citations are likely relieved that they appear to have escaped criminal prosecution.